This YA thriller debut by Megan Lally had me glued to the pages! It's a crazy ride of suspense, drama, and unexpected twists. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one go. The dual perspectives and fast pace kept me guessing until the end. I thought I knew what was going on so many times, and every time I was wrong.

The epilogue was perfect and touching, wrapping up the story beautifully. Despite a heart-wrenching ending, I'm excited to see what Megan Lally comes up with next!

Big thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

WOW!! I could not put this triller down! This fast paced adventure had me reading and not wanting to stop. You can’t help but be sucked right into the story & living the suspense along with Mary & Drew.
Thank you Netgalley & SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Really enjoyed this book, liked the split story between the two characters, so many twists and turns, the ending was totally unexpected and added a great twist on the whole book! Was some parts that I felt were a bit over described and weren’t really needed or where parts seemed to repeat themselves, never the less I really enjoyed it!

I read an advanced readers copy thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I really enjoyed Megan Lally’s debut thriller That’s Not My Name. The book tells the story of a teenage girl who wakes up bruised and injured as if she was the victim of a car accident, but she has lost her memory, The police find her and soon her father shows up to claim her, and her name is Mary Boone. But is he her father? Seems seem just a bit off. She has no memories,

The book also tells the story if Drew, who is the primary suspect in the disappearance of girlfriend Lola, who disappeared several weeks ago. But Drew claims he is innocent and is determined to find Lola, even though the police seem to have put blinders on and are certain Drew is the guilty party.

As the story progresses, both Drew and Mary come closer to uncovering the truth, but what is the truth? No spoikers, but the author provides plenty of twists in this fast paced, enjoyable read. Lally’s first venture out of the YA world is off to a great start. Highly enjoyable.

That's Not My Name is a great mystery/suspense title that will be perfect for my high school readers. Take a girl who has amnesia and has obviously been through trauma, add a concerned dad who finds her at the small town police station and has proof of her identity so that she is released into his hands. Then switch to another town where a girl has gone missing and the last one to be with her is her boyfriend, who the local sheriff seems to believe has done something to her, and so does the rest of the town. Knowing he is innocent, he convinces a few friends to join him in looking for her, following a tip that the police have basically discounted. This is the premise of the story which takes you on twists and turns and through a few surprises before the mystery is solved. An entertaining read for sure.

This was a great debut novel! I liked the element of amnesia and the way it was worked into the story. I thought the twists were pretty good and kept me guessing. I felt like we were solving the mystery along with the main character (the boy) and that was an awesome part of it. The writing was gripping from page 1 and I would definitely read more books by this author.

This one was so interesting. Something definitely seemed off with what was going on, but I didn't guess it right away. The story was fast paced and I couldn't wait to see how the two storylines collided. This one kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

This book was recommended by a friend who had read an early copy and it lived up to her praise! The novel was so realistic from how society views missing girls, their boyfriends, and the tenacity of never giving up on people you love. I didn't expect to be surprised by the novel, but I was by the depth of feeling/emotion, the character growth, and a plot twist I didn't see coming. I can't wait to share this with my students because they will love it!

Just wow! New to me author and I’m thrilled! This book had it all. Deliciously dark and creepy. Super rich characters that hooked me early on. Action packed and filled with twists and turns. Can’t say enough great things about this story.
Thank you NetGalley, Megan Lally and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book. Huge 5 stars from me.

BRILLIANT!! Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a gripping and suspenseful young adult debut thriller that kept me engaged to the very end! I was completely immersed from the very beginning and could not stop reading and finished it in one sitting! The anticipation, suspense, drama, eerie atmosphere, mystery, action, tension, fast pacing, dual perspectives, breathtaking twists and an intense shocking ending is what makes this a crazy wild ride!! Honestly, I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong!! When I finished the story and realized there was an epilogue I wasn't sure how I felt about it. However, I am extremely grateful for this epilogue because it's perfect and so touching! This one will stay with me for a long time and I absolutely loved it so much!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He claims he has been searching for her for hours! Wayne even has her school ID, birth certificate and family photos to prove that he is her father. Apparently, her name is Mary O. but she can't remember that tidbit of information let alone any other details. Meanwhile Drew, a teenage boy, is accused of the presumed murder of his girlfriend, Lola. The whole town is convinced Drew is a horrible person and killed his girlfriend. All he wants is to investigate and find Lola before it's too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer the leads there are to follow and the more danger! Are these two events connected? Is Wayne really her father? Will Drew be able to find her in time? Will she be able to recover her memories?

Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish! If your looking for a deeply emotional and darkly twisted thriller with well developed characters and heart pounding twists that will keep you guessing to the very end then this is the book for you! I highly recommend and I cannot wait to read more books by this author!!

That's Not My Name is a gripping thriller told between dual POVS. We first meet Mary, who wakes up on the side of the road, bloody and concussed, with no memory of who she is or how she landed in such precarious circumstances. Fortunately, her father shows up at the police station after searching for her for hours and can she begin to try to fit the pieces he gives her of her life back into place. However, there are a few things that aren't adding up and don't feel right - can she really trust this man? Is she really Mary? We also meet Drew, the heartbroken and desperate teen boyfriend of a small town girl who has gone missing. He seems to be the only one convinced of his innocence, and that his girlfriend Lola is still alive. He takes matters into his own hands to bring her home when the police seem to only consider one possibility for Lola's disappearance - him.

I really, really enjoyed this story - and both POVs. I thought it was very well paced. While I had some of the inklings I had did come true, I never felt like the story was so predictable that I lost interest. On the contrary, the more I read, the fast I read! I think this was a great debut for Megan Lally and I am definitely interested in reading more from her!

There were a few things I had a hard time bending reality for, mostly with Drew & Co.'s amateur sleuthing that I found really convenient and that took me out of the story. Also, I felt like it was slightly unbelievable that the Officer that sent Mary home with her father would wait several days to "check-in" and when he does, not lay eyes on her. Overall, though, I really enjoyed reading this.

I think this is a rare thriller nowadays that paces well, has a believable unreliable narrator, and isn't entirely predictable and this hit all of those marks. 4.5/5, rounded up here.

I received an eARC of this novel via NetGalley. Thank you to SourceBooks for the opportunity to read and give my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of That's Not My Name.

This was such a good YA thriller/mystery. It was well-written with great pacing throughout resulting in me devouring this book in less than 24 hours. I promise you will think you have this book figured out and you'll end up surprised at the end. Additionally, the alternating point of views worked so well with the storyline.

5 suspenseful stars!

This was a gripping thriller at its finest! I couldn't put it down and wanted to just power through this through 2am until the last page!

I couldn't put this book down! I was hooked from the first line, and I loved the character arcs. Excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for providing an e-ARC of this novel. This will be published 1/2/2024.

For #YAlit fans of #AGoodGirlsGuidetoMurder, Karen M. McManus, and April Henry, this Pacific Northwest thriller will keep readers guessing!

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A girl wakes up in a ditch. She has no memory of who she is, how she got there, and why she is injured, but she knows something bad has happened. After the police find her and take her to the station for questioning, a man shows up and claims to be her dad. He has all her information, pictures, and her “favorite” jacket. He calls her Mary. He seems nice and caring. But is all as it seems?

Two towns over, Drew is the lead suspect in his girlfriend’s missing persons case. Lola was last seen 5 weeks ago with them, and the police have run out of all leads…except him. He knows he’s innocent, and he knows that time is running out to bring Lola home.
🚐

I gobbled this up during my Thanksgiving break, and it was a fun thriller and very fast read! This reminded me A LOT of Girl in the White Van by April Henry mixed with A Body in the Woods, but for a slightly older audience. While the split POV narration was not seamless, it did help to build suspense and keep me guessing! I could see this being a hit with many readers!

3.5 ⭐️

I wish I could give this fifty stars! This was thrilling, pulse-pounding, twisty, gripping and so hard to put down even for a minute! By far, the best thriller I have read this year! A seventeen year old girl wakes up in a ditch with no memory of what happened or who she is. But it seems her dad is looking for her and tells her she is Mary. Drew, another young teen, is looking for his girlfriend, Lola, who went missing. The townspeople and law enforcement are convinced Drew killed her. Drew does everything in his power to look for her. Amazing suspense!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance readers copy. Way too violent for me regardless of the suspenseful plot.

Solid 5 star read for me! From page one, the author keeps you intrigued and struggling to put this book down! Wonderfully descriptive with personable characters. I can't wait to be able to gift this novel to my fellow thriller loving friends!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
That’s Not My Name releases December 26, 2023

A gripping five-star read from the first page.
Megan Lally set the bar high with her compulsively readable debut and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!!

In <I>That’s Not My Name</I>, there are two separate narratives at play. Are they connected in more ways than this town is willing to believe? Or are some characters so desperate for answers that they’ve deluded themselves into seeing connections where there aren’t any?

On one hand, we have a teenaged girl who came to in a ditch off the side of a road, bruised and battered, with no recollection of her life or who she is. A man claiming to be her father finds her at the police station hours later, but what really happened to her? If she was in a car accident, then where is her car? And why does it seem like her father knows nothing about her (i.e. clothing preferences and allergies)?

On the other hand, we have the perspective of a teenaged boy named Drew, whose girlfriend Lola went missing, and everyone thinks he killed her. What happened to her the night after she left Drew’s car to walk home alone?

As a seasoned reader, I thought I had a good idea where things were headed, and I was certain I knew who the girl with amnesia really was… but I was proven wrong.

The ending had me distraught! Some predictability aside, this was such a great serial killer mystery/thriller with strong writing. Lally utilized dual pov really well and it worked to her advantage.

I think if the father wanted to be more believable for a longer period of time, he needed to have a stronger and more credible story to stick with. Things didn’t add up quite early on when he said he’d take Mary on an hour and a half drive to a thrift store to get clothes that fit her, yet he told the officer that first night that their cabin was only an hour drive away from their home that’s being renovated… so wouldn’t it be quicker to drive to their home to get clothes she already owns?
The time frames between multiple characters got muddled a bit… some would say the distance from A to B would be 90 minutes, whereas others said 2.5 hours or 1 hour.
Other than that slight discrepancy, I had an enjoyable time.

Oh a good one! I cant say anything because I don’t want to give anything away but I liked this one!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.